AMA CEO James L. Madara, MD, in a May 25 letter to the committee said any cost-efficient payment model redesigns should give physicians the resources and flexibility to keep patients healthier, improve care coordination, manage chronic conditions, reduce duplication of services, and prevent avoidable admissions.

"For Medicare's physician payment system to move in this direction, there needs to be a transition period with opportunities for physicians to move into innovative payment and delivery models in ways that enable them to gain skills and experience in taking accountability for improving care and lowering growth in costs," Madara wrote.